Delay in building bridge worries locals as monsoon approaches

The old bridge was demolished in March for widening of Adyar river. More than five months later, the reconstruction work has started only now.

According to the people here, the State Highways department was supposed to take up the construction of the new bridge immediately after the demolition, and was to complete it in nine months. However, the work started only five months after a delay of five months.

“This is an important bridge which connects Tiruneermalai to Tirumudivakkam, Pallavaram and Outer Ring Road. Now we use mud road to cross the river, but it is in such a condition that it may collapse anytime. Commuters are forced to use it, as this is the shortest route,” said Vijaykumar, a resident in Tiruneermalai.

If the mud road is flooded during the monsoon as feared by the residents, they would have to take other, longer routes. For instance, the Kundrathur- Anakaputhur is 15 km long, while Kishkinta- Kadaperi- Tambaram route is around 13 km. If the bridge is reconstructed, it would take only 15-20 mins to reach the destination.

“It has become a big trouble for officegoers, students and traders who transport goods through this route. After the bridge was demolished, when we asked the workers the reason for delay in beginning reconstruction, they said that there was shortage of cement. They had assured that the work would start within a week, but it has commenced only now,” said Saravanan K, a motorist.

Speaking to DT Next, divisional engineer, State Highways Department said, “There was shortage of cement. Also, due to rains, we had to stop the work temporarily.” He added that now that the PWD officials have cleaned and widened the river, the work will be completed within six months.